It’s time for the conjecture, leaks and red herrings to end. SPTechReport has it on good authority from multiple anonymous sources that the beta release of SharePoint 15 will drop next Monday. It had been reported that Microsoft was looking for a summertime drop of the beta, and it has hit the mark. (All right, so originally it was speculated for June. It’s STILL summer!)

Microsoft even has posted the details of a developer “First Look” course for SharePoint 15, which shows two types of hosted apps, the use of Agaves (HTML5 and JavaScript add-ons) to extend Office apps, and improvements in content management.

Like everyone else, we’ll pore over it, talk to the experts, and bring you all the news on important new features and directions for SharePoint. If you’re a beta tester, we’d love to hear from you about your experiences with the software: what’s good, what isn’t, and what should have been left alone. Let the fun begin!

*     *     *

SharePoint has many users, and many enthusiasts, in the community. But it also has its detractors, to whom SharePoint is a royal pain! A new blog dedicated to those users has been created, called #SharePain. (You can also follow it along on Twitter.) It’s a place where folks who hit bugs, or capability shortcomings, or project failures, can come together to share their stories and their pain. Meanwhile, the website “Enjoy SharePoint” provides the yin to SharePain’s yang with articles, blogs, answers to questions and a whole lot more. So, whichever side you’re on, clearly, you’re not alone!

—David